


The Deadly Art of Frying Pans

by MadamePotter



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Denny's Parking Lots, Gay Peter Parker, Inter-dimensional travel, M/M, No Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Percy Jackson should have stayed home, Percy and Annabeth are just friends, percy is bi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2020-03-29 12:23:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19019866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadamePotter/pseuds/MadamePotter
Summary: Frying pans are meant for cooking omelets. Or a nice quesadilla or something. Not for fighting monsters. Whoever told you that you’d look like Rapunzel in Tangled, lied. Percy learned this the hard way at 2 am in a Denny’s parking lot.In which Percy travels to Peter Parker's Earth with his trusty frying pan.





	1. Percy

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place before Endgame (so you don't have to worry about spoilers) and before the Heroes of Olympus series. Also, Annabeth and Percy are just best buds (though I do ship Percabeth). Feel free to leave a comment on things you like or want to see because I'm pretty new at this and I'd love feedback.  
> I changed the rating just in case, but only because there may be a little swearing but that's it.

Frying pans are meant for cooking omelets. Or a nice quesadilla or something. _Not_ for fighting monsters. Whoever told you that you’d look like Rapunzel in _Tangled_ , lied. Percy learned this the hard way at 2 am in a Denny’s parking lot. But it wasn’t his fault! Yes, Annabeth had told him a hundred times never to wear the one set of shorts that didn’t have pockets because “a demigod without a weapon is a dead demigod”. She said that a lot. He usually ignored her, which, in hindsight, was going to make Annabeth so smug when he told her what happened… _If_ he told her what happened. But, he didn’t have time to worry about that right now because the Gorgon in the Denny’s parking lot was advancing.

It was really all Annabeth’s fault anyway. She had called him 10 minutes ago saying that she was in trouble and he had raced over ignoring the fact that he was wearing his old Meriwether Prep gym shorts that were two sizes too small and pocketless. Forgetting that he didn’t have Riptide. And overlooking that Annabeth was visiting her dad in San Francisco, and she couldn’t possibly be at a Denny’s parking lot at 2 in the morning. However, none of this hit him till he arrived barefoot and weaponless, his friend nowhere in sight.

“Perseus Jackson,” the monster hissed, and he wanted to feel worried or prepared or angry, but he just didn’t have the energy, “I have come to ki—“

“Do we have to do this now?” He asked, rubbing his eyes as if that would make up for the lack of sleep.

To her credit, the gorgon looked surprised. Like she couldn’t believe he was interrupting her mid-monologue.

“YES” She growled, “My master has sent me to destroy you godling. You who have been a blight on our kind for too long. But you will suffer the consequences for your—”

“And I totally get that, but I’ve got a history test in the morning, so can we rap this up?”

“STOP TALKING” she screeched in frustration, forcing Percy to dodge as she chucked the first thing she could find at him—a chunk of concrete. He heard glass shatter behind him and an alarm blared. Percy groaned. _Perfect_. He figured he had about five minutes before the police showed up and arrested him for breaking into a Denny’s. He turned around to survey the damage, which probably wasn’t the best idea seeing as a gorgon was trying to kill him, but he was really tired.

“Did you have to break the glass?” He asked.

“AHHHH” She replied, which Percy thought was a bit inconsiderate. He wondered if her insurance would cover this. When he asked her, she chased him into the restaurant, which was a bad move on her part as he immediately found a frying pan that had been knocked to the floor

“Ahah!” He shouted triumphantly as he raised his “weapon” menacingly. Unfortunately, how stupid he looked did not dissuade her either.

He swung his frying pan wildly, trying not to lose his grip on it, but the gorgon easily avoided it. Blue and red lights flashed in the distance and the police sirens sounded a lot closer than they had a couple of minutes ago; he really did not want to have to deal with them and the gorgon.

Percy slowly tried to lead her away from the restaurant, which was working, until he actually hit her. The frying pan made a loud “CLANG” as it made contact with her head and she howled in pain. Unfortunately, the frying pan was not made of Celestial Bronze so this only made her angrier.

She lunged and Percy backed up quickly, managing to trip over something else. As he lay on the ground with the gorgon mid-pounce and the police outside, his only thought was “I can’t die in a Denny’s parking lot” before an explosion of blue enveloped him and he was sucked inside.


	2. Peter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter's POV: Percy arrives on Spiderman's Earth and Peter's not sure what to think about this really cute stranger.

Peter had seen a lot during his time as Spider-Man. Honestly, he’d seen a lot _before_ he’d been Spider-Man. When you live in a city with the Avengers and annual alien attacks, it’s hard to be surprised by anything. And yet, when a boy wielding a frying pan jumped out of a wormhole he was sure he had reached his limit.

The boy swung wildly until he seemed to realize that he was alone. Well, not completely alone.

“Are you alright?” Peter asked cautiously, swinging down behind him. The boy jumped and spun around, aiming his frying pan at Peter. Normally, he would have seen this as an act of aggression, but he was a bit preoccupied with how beautiful the boy was. He thought he might be hallucinating because there was no way this boy with his gorgeous sea-green eyes was real.

“Who are you?! Where am I?!” The beautiful boy demanded. He was tall, taller than Peter at least, with sharp features and dark black hair that fell over his eyes in a chaotic skater-boy kind of way. Peter stared at him in awe until he realized that the boy was waiting for a response.

“I’m Peter Man.” No. “I mean I’m Spider Boy—” That wasn’t it either. “Spider Man! I’m Spider Man!” He corrected as his cheeks burned. “You’re in New York…” he finished lamely.

The boy looked at him strangely, and Peter wondered if Thor would smite him on the spot.

Without lowering his frying pan, he shook his head, “This isn’t New York”. 

Peter didn’t really know how to answer that. So instead he asked, “Was that a portal?” The boy turned around as if realizing that the glowing blue vortex was no longer there.

“That’s not good” he mumbled before turning back to Peter with a calculating look.

“I’m Percy” Percy swung his frying pan under his arm and stuck out his hand, “I think I’m in the wrong dimension” Then he promptly passed out.

—

Peter stared at the unconscious boy. Perhaps, inter-dimensional travel didn’t agree with him? This was really weird. Was he the only one who thought this was really weird?

He sighed in defeat and grabbed Percy and his frying pan. He wasn’t really sure where he would take him. Of course, he could take Percy to Mr. Stark, but that didn’t really feel right. Not that inter-dimensional travel wasn’t important, but something told him he should keep this to himself right now. Something seemed different about this boy, besides the fact that he came out of a portal. Peter's heightened senses weren’t exactly tingling per say but it felt like when you stand next to a really loud speaker and you can feel the beat. In this manner, he could feel power resonating from Percy. 

He supposed he could take Percy back to his apartment. His Aunt May knew about his nightly escapades, and while she didn’t explicitly prohibit him, he knew she didn’t approve either. Perhaps he’d hold off on telling her about this particular detail for now.

Peter dragged him through his window, trying—unsuccessfully—to avoid banging Percy’s head in the process. He probably should have been better at this, considering he had super human strength but his window was small. He laid Percy down on his bed, staring at him until he realized that might be a bit creepy. But honestly, can you blame him, it’s not every day he had a hot boy in his bed. He winced. That sounded bad.

He didn’t really know what to do now, but he knew he didn’t want to stay in his room. 

“Karen?” He called and the suit’s AI activated.

“Yes Peter?”

“Don’t tell Mr. Stark about this. At least not yet”

“Of course Peter” she replied. He wasn’t sure if she’d keep that promise, but it might buy him time. Time to figure out how Percy had gotten here, who he was, and how to send him back.

It took him a while to fall asleep that night—one because he was on the couch and two because of the reason he was on the couch—but when he did he dreamt of the sea.


	3. Percy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy's POV: Percy takes a stroll through the wild streets of the knock off New York and gets to see his new superhero pal in action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've never written a fight scene before but I hope you like it!

When Percy woke up, he had no idea where he was. The room was small but definitely not his apartment or his cabin. In the corner was a desk covered with books, chess pieces, and lego models and he was in a bunkbed—sparking the belief that he was at Camp Half-blood. It smelled of pine and the lemon furnishing that his mom used (a weird combination). Nothing like his room at camp, which always smelled like the ocean. 

Then he remembered the gorgon, the portal, and Spider-Man. Where was his frying pan? 

The door opened, and a different boy entered. He was average height with curly brown hair and cute in a nerdy sort of way. Why had he thought that? It didn’t matter anyway because it’s not like he couldn’t appreciate someone’s attractiveness platonically. 

“You’re awake!” The boy said with a grin, “I got some breakfast for you ‘cause I thought you might be hungry from your…traveling?” 

“Who are you?” Percy demanded, which may not have been the nicest way to ask but he was a little stressed. The mystery boy looked confused, until he seemed to realize something. 

“Oh right, I was wearing a mask before.” He pointed to himself awkwardly, “Spider-Man.” Percy waited until he realized that was the whole sentence. 

“The guy in the mask?” Percy asked and the boy nodded. “What’s your name, though? Like your real name. Unless that is a real name here?” The boy’s eyes widened. 

“Oh, uh, no! It’s Peter. Parker. You passed out so I brought you here.” He gestured to the small room and Percy nodded appreciatively. He wasn’t sure if he could trust Peter yet, but he knew he didn’t have to help him at all, and if he had wanted to kill him, he could have done it already. A loud “BANG” came from the other room and Percy instinctually reached for his sword until he realized that he didn’t have it. Peter, mistaking this as him reaching for his new weapon, said, “Your frying pan is in the sink. It was dirty so I cleaned it. I’ll get it for you if you want it?” 

Percy shook his head, “That’s fine. Who else is here?” 

“Just my Aunt May. She doesn’t exactly know that you’re here, so…” 

“Be quiet. Got it” Percy guessed. Peter nodded appreciatively and looked like he was going to say something else when he was interrupted by his alarm. They both looked at the small clock and Peter jumped. 

“I have to go! Like, right now.” He frantically ran around his room, picking up books and other items. “I have school and I’m really sorry about leaving you here, but don’t leave, and stay in my room until my aunt’s gone. You can borrow a change of clothes and, uh, read a book or something until I get back?” He threw a book at Percy who caught it easily. Peter was half way out the door when he finally stopped and turned back to Percy with a serious expression. 

“We’ll figure it out,” he promised, then raced out the door, backpack mostly unzipped, shouting ‘bye’ to his aunt. 

Percy wasn’t sure what to think about Peter. He seemed nice enough, even though he left Percy alone in a strange house with only a book he couldn’t read for company. He stared at the cover with its mixed-up words before chucking it onto the bed in frustration. Usually he’d play with Riptide in pen form or practice with his sword to alleviate his boredom, but he didn’t even have that. He could feel his ADHD already making him anxious from a mere minute of stillness. 

Two minutes. He sat down on Peter’s bed. 

Three minutes. His foot tapped restlessly and his hands itched for something to do. 

After four minutes he decided he couldn’t take it anymore and that Peter probably wouldn’t mind if he just took a small stroll around the fake New York. He was about to sneak out the window when he remembered that he was barefoot and wearing short shorts. While he normally didn’t care how he looked, he thought it was probably best not to draw attention to himself here. Unfortunately, Peter’s wardrobe consisted of plaid shirts, science puns, and khaki pants. 

He grabbed the largest pants he could find and a shirt that he figured out, after some difficulty, read “The physics is theoretical but the fun is real,” and hoped no one would look at him long enough to read it. 

When he had the pants on, he stared hopefully at the pockets as if Riptide would magically appear. Which it usually did. When nothing happened, he sighed in frustration. Whatever magic had whisked him here apparently didn’t want him bringing his sword along. The frying pan would have to do. 

He decided that he’d take it, just in case, and waited until Peter’s aunt had left to grab the pan from the sink. Then he hopped out Peter’s window and made his way down the fire escape. 

— 

Even though he was in another dimension he could always trust New York to smell the same; the scent of trash and urine making him nostalgic in a weird way. While that may have ruined some peoples’ appetites, the second he could smell the vendor hot dogs he could hear his stomach growling. But he didn’t have money and he’d rather not get in trouble with the police in _this_ New York too, so instead he spent the day distracting himself by finding out the differences between the two worlds: the main one being superheroes. He learned a lot about the Avengers and the alien attacks (he was still shocked by that) by listening to people’s conversations and watching the news in coffee shops. He even managed to get a free sample at a bagel place, so the looming threat of starvation had passed. 

Around noon it started to rain which made him feel better than he had all day. With his newfound energy Percy had figured out that his current predicament was probably the fault of some god or other immortal being as it always was. One who either wanted to kill him or make him do something for them. Or both. Most times it was both. 

All in all, it was shaping up to be a pretty good day. That is, until his luck had to run out as it always did. He heard an explosion in the distance and glared accusingly at the sky, “One day. You couldn’t have given me one day?” Then he ran in the direction of the smoke. 

It turned out someone had gotten there first. Spider-Man was already facing off with a vaguely humanoid figure that was literally on fire. Flames curled around his body and the rain steamed around him. Percy could barely look at the attacker without covering his eyes from the intense heat radiating off the man. 

“I am Red Phoenix!” He roared. Which was a pretty stupid name in Percy’s opinion. Very basic. “Too long has the world been left in the dark. ‘Superheroes’ like your precious Avengers and you _Spider-Man_ hide secrets from us, from the people you are sworn to protect. When will those secrets come back to bite us? The people deserve to know, so I will shine a light on these lies!” The man bellowed as he shot a ball of fire at Spider-Man who dodged effortlessly. 

“I get it! ‘Cause of the fire powers.” Spider-Man quipped. He dodged another blast. 

“I will watch the world burn and you with it, Spider-Man!” 

“Seems a little counterproductive if you’re just trying to learn some secrets. I mean, I can’t tell you anything if you kill me,” the superhero commented before shooting a web at Red Phoenix’s face. Percy thought this would have been a major hit had the webs not burned up on impact. 

“Sir, if you don’t mind me saying. You’re very hot” Percy could tell that Peter was grinning under his mask. 

“I’ll show you how _hot_ I can get, little bug!” The fiery dude cried as he prepared for his next attack. 

Peter placed a gloved hand to his chest coyly. “Oh, you flirt! Buy me dinner first!” He teased. 

“ARGHHH,” Red Phoenix replied eloquently. They continued in this manner for some time: Peter shooting webs and Red Phoenix burning everything around him, but Percy could tell that Peter was growing tired. His remarks were few and far in between and he was getting slower. The police and the fire department had arrived too but they couldn’t do anything but protect the bystanders and put out any fires that Red Phoenix had started. 

Nothing Peter did seemed to slow down Red Phoenix at all and Percy was getting increasingly more anxious as he watched from the sidelines. Not his usual position in a fight, but this wasn’t his world and there were about a hundred other very good reasons he should keep his powers a secret. 

“Stop burning my webs!” Spider-Man complained. Red Phoenix rudely ignored him. That’s when several things happened at once. Spider-Man had been swinging from building to building but when Red Phoenix shot a very well-aimed blast at one of his webs, he fell from the sky. Percy watched in horror as Peter tumbled to the ground, clearly trying to send out another web to catch himself but nothing came out. 

He hit the ground with such a horrible amount of force that Percy knew he couldn’t possibly have survived. His heart dropped and he ran from the spot he had been watching from. When he saw Peter move, he allowed himself to breathe again. But the fight wasn’t over yet. The villain stalked closer as Spider-Man struggled to get up, seemingly in a daze. He raised his fiery hands, laughing as Peter tried to push himself off the ground. Red Phoenix was going to kill him. 

Percy, acting impulsively as always, ran at Red Phoenix and smashed the frying pan down on his head. The villain turned in surprise, yelling in what sounded more like anger than pain. He should really stop using that thing, it wasn’t working. The good news was the burning man wasn’t focused on Peter anymore. The bad news was it looked like Percy was his new target.

Peter looked shocked that he was there at all, and tried to get up as he screamed, “Get out of here!” 

But it was too late. Red Phoenix had already sent a huge wave of fire at Percy, engulfing him in flames.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no! What happened!? Any guesses? Also I'm half way done with the next chapter so it should be up soonish.  
> —  
> So sorry guys, it took way longer to write the next chapter because I was pretty busy, but I just finished it and am editing it. So hopefully it will be up today or tomorrow. (6/10/19)


	4. Peter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter's POV: In which, Percy's not who Peter thought he was and Tony Stark doesn't handle father-hood very well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! I was really busy and school just ended. Also this chapter was just weirdly hard to write? But it's a lot longer than the other ones, so maybe that helps? Hope you enjoy!

Peter screamed. Red Phoenix had killed him. That idiot had tried to play hero and now he was dead. Before he could mourn his stupidly courageous and recently deceased friend, the flames died, but instead of seeing him burnt to a crisp, a completely unharmed Percy stood there instead. 

“What the hell?” Peter whimpered inaudibly and Percy sent him a crooked grin. That’s when things got even weirder. 

The rain that had been drizzling softly, stopped and he watched as Percy raised his hands, the water following his motions. Everything had gone perfectly still, even Red Phoenix had stopped to watch the wall of water rise farther into the sky. Eventually, the fiery fool realized he should have been paying attention to the fight but by then it was too late. Percy sent Peter a wink before thrusting his hands down and collapsing a giant wave on Red Phoenix (who looked appropriately regretful). In that moment, Peter wasn’t sure what to think. He was impressed, in awe, amazed of course, but...when his eyes met Percy’s he felt a sense of unease. It was like Percy had gone from this easy-going kid to a war machine in a second, and Peter wondered what he had been through to cause that. 

The silence that followed was deafening. It seemed like no one really knew how to respond to this surprising turn of events. It was usually ‘bad guy shows up, Spider-Man shoots some webs, and everyone goes home happy’. Percy’s freaky water magic had thrown the entire thing off balance. 

Then the rain continued as if nothing had happened and Percy sauntered over much too calmly for a boy who had just been blowtorched. If Peter thought it was hot that wasn’t anybody’s business. 

“You should be dead,” Peter told him. 

Percy shrugged, “Pretty much sums up my life.” He ran his fingers through his already very messy hair and Peter had to force himself to focus. 

“Why are you not dead?” Peter was having a crisis but before Percy could answer with something equally as cryptic, Peter noticed the crowd that had formed and rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration, “You know what. No. Not here. We need to leave, but you’re telling me who you are.” Peter stared at him intensely, “And what you are.” Percy nodded uncomfortably, then his eyes widened at something behind Peter. 

Peter spun around just in time to see the formerly on fire, but now thoroughly drenched, Red Phoenix lunge at him before Percy swung his frying pan and knocked him out. They both stared at the man and then back to the frying pan. Peter’s jaw dropped in confusion. Percy looked overjoyed. 

“YES! I’m sorry I ever doubted you. You’re doing amazing sweetie.” Percy kissed his frying pan and cradled it like a child. 

Shaking his head in disbelief, he grabbed Percy’s hand, “Come on, we have to get out of here.” He checked his web shooters and groaned when he found them empty. He had hoped they were just jammed but no such luck. “I’m out of webs so we have to walk” 

“That’s fine with me. I’m not a big fan of air travel,” Percy admitted before switching his weapon to his other hand. He rubbed his shoulder and winced. 

“I need a strap for this thing” 

“Probably cause frying pans aren’t most peoples go-to weapon...” Peter muttered loud enough for Percy to hear. Percy looked outraged. 

“Take that back!” The look on Percy’s face was so serious that Peter couldn’t help but laugh despite everything that had happened today. 

“Come on. I know a place we can go” 

\-- 

It took them 20 minutes to reach the coffee shop, Joey’s Coffee and Cakes, on 5th street, between which Peter had grabbed a change of clothes from the backpack he had hidden and made a fool of himself when he awkwardly asked Percy to turn around while he changed. Fortunately, that also meant Percy didn’t see the horrible blush that covered Peter’s face. 

Joey’s was a tiny little hole in the wall place he had stumbled across after a particularly difficult fight. Unfortunately, it had been quite late at the time and he was starving—his fast metabolism not doing him any favors—and this was the only shop open. Usually, it was almost empty, and today was no different. A small fire crackled lazily in the corner as Peter grabbed a seat and gestured for Percy to follow. 

Peter wasn’t really sure what to say, but he was saved, momentarily, when the barista turned on the news. 

“Spiderman and unknown accomplice faced off the criminal going by the name ‘Red Phoenix’. It remains to be seen whether this new superhero is a permanent addition but it’s clear that without their heroic actions, things may have taken a turn for the worse...” The reporter concluded as footage of Percy and himself played. Percy’s face was too far away to make out but everything else was in plain view. The fight, his fall (which looked a lot worse now that he was watching it), and Percy controlling the water. 

Percy seemed surprised to see the scene at all, which Peter thought was strange. Did he think that his crazy water powers wouldn’t garner him some fans? 

“That shouldn’t be possible. They shouldn’t be able to see me. Mortals aren’t supposed to see this stuff” Percy looked at Peter, making sure he was watching as well. 

“What are you talking about?” 

“The Mist. It’s a—kind of curtain, I guess. Between the mortal world and the...other world” Percy kept gesturing with his hands as if it would help him explain it in a way that made sense. He must have seen the confusion on Peter's face because he tried again. 

“Ok, so you know how you guys have wizards and aliens and stuff?” Peter nodded, not sure where this was going yet. 

“On my earth, we have monsters, magicians...and _gods_ ” Percy paused for effect but continued when Peter didn’t react “...and a whole lot of other weird stuff that mortals can’t really comprehend. The Mist helps make it more digestible so their minds can cope.” Percy looked to make sure Peter was understanding. “Mortals only see what they want to see.” 

“So, they shouldn’t have been able to see you do that freaky water magic stuff?” 

“It’s not magic, it’s...Well, I’m not sure what to call it, but I’m not Harry Potter or anything. I’m a demigod, a half-blood. Half human, half—” 

“god” Peter finished and Percy nodded. 

“Greek, to be specific” Peter knew a bit about Greek mythology: gods, incest, monsters—the basics. He’d read the Odyssey too—3 years ago—but that was it. Not that he didn’t believe Percy. He’d be kind of hypocritical not too, given that he had spider powers and he knew a god. 

“Who’s your godly parent then?” 

“Poseidon, hence the water powers. You’re taking this super well—” 

“And the fire invulnerability, is that a demigod thing too?” 

“No that’s just a me thing.” Percy grinned—Peter wished he would stop doing that, it was much too distracting—, “But it’s more of an overall invincibility.” Peter half expected Percy to laugh and admit he was joking but he didn’t. When did his life get so weird?

“What.” 

“It’s called the Curse of Achilles” 

“The one with the heel?” 

“Ya” 

“Didn’t turn out well for him though” 

Percy nodded uncomfortably, “No.” It looked like he was going to say more, to explain this insane secret about himself, but the “You’re my dad! Boogie woogie woogie” vine played and conversation stopped. The utter confusion that followed was...hard to describe until Peter realized that it was coming from his phone—and that he had set that as his ring-tone for Mr. Stark not long after he’d received his number. 

He scrambled for his phone, and sure enough Tony Stark was calling him. 

He winced, “That’s not good.” It was very bad actually. If Mr. Stark was calling him, then he’d seen the news, and if he’d seen the news, he knew about Peter’s new friend. 

“Who is it?” Percy asked, gracious enough not to mention the ring-tone. 

“We’re definitely in trouble.” He hesitated, tempted to ignore the call, but he also knew that a second near-death experience in one day would be bad for his health. This was not how he expected his day to go. He had been in Chemistry when Red Phoenix had shown up, close enough to his school that they had had to be evacuated (which saved him from creating some lackluster excuse that would have definitely gotten him a detention). Honestly, he did so much for this city and did he ever get a simple ‘Thank you’? No! 

He answered the call. 

“So, were you just not going to tell me?” His mentor/father-figure/best-friend said through the phone, his voice cutting Peter like a knife. Peter assumed this was a rhetorical question and didn’t answer. 

“I’m not even mad, I’m just disappointed Peter” Ah, the signature dad move. Harsh. “Do you even know this kid? You didn’t think I’d want to meet someone with that much power, before we let them out on the streets? And what have I told you about not calling for back-up? You could have died. This guy was on fire! That’s not your normal, everyday, friendly neighborhood villain! I really thought you had learned from last time.” 

“Mr. Stark, I did—” 

“No, now is NOT the time for excuses. How long have you known about him?” 

“I only just met him last night! He came through a portal—”

“A WHAT? You didn’t think that was important enough to tell me?” 

“No, I—” 

“I’m coming. Tell the kid he’s going to Stark Tower.” 

“ _You’re_ coming, or Happy is?” Peter asked bitterly but Mr. Stark ignored him. 

“I’ll be there in 5 minutes.” He hung up. 

Percy had been silent the whole time but when the call ended he looked at Peter as he chose his next words carefully.

“You okay?” 

“I’m fine” Peter replied shortly—immediately feeling bad, Percy didn’t deserve that—“Sorry. I just...I’m frustrated. I try so hard to impress him, but nothing’s ever good enough” 

Percy nodded, “I know the feeling” Even though this was clearly a serious moment, and he should probably be thinking about how Mr. Stark would be here any minute, his little teenage boy brain could only scream about how they had something in common. 

“That was Tony Stark. He’s Iron Man” Peter clarified, finally remembering to answer Percy’s question. For someone who had arrived on this earth yesterday, Percy seemed very shocked. 

“Whoa. I’ve heard about him, that’s insane” He ran his fingers through his hair again—very annoying—“Do all you superheroes just know each other?” 

“Kind of. He’s coming here right now, he wants to take you to Stark Tower, probably to interrogate you or something. Sorry. ” 

“Oh wow. Uh. Should I be worried?” Peter shook his head. 

“He’ll--He’ll be able to figure out what’s going on. Help you.” A loud honk from outside startled the duo and they rose begrudgingly from their chairs. If he had his way, he’d stay in this coffee shop with Percy for hours, but duty called.

Outside Tony Stark was waiting next to his car. He looked calm and collected, nothing like how he had sounded on the phone. He smiled at the pedestrians who gawked at him as they walked past. 

He waved them over, ushering Percy into his car, but when Peter went to follow Stark stopped him. 

“You’re not coming with us,” Mr. Stark said harshly. 

“WHAT!” Peter didn’t understand, “He’s _my_ friend. _I_ found him and _I_ should get to help! You can’t just make me leave!” He shouted, aware that he sounded like a kid throwing a tantrum, but he didn’t care. 

“I can and I am. Peter go home.” He responded, his voice deadly calm. Peter wanted to protest, to yell at Mr. Stark that he wasn’t a kid and it was _his_ job to protect Percy, though he’d hardly done that at all. But he didn’t. The look on Mr. Stark’s face told him that if he kept pushing, it wouldn’t end well for him. So, he backed off. Percy looked at him and gave him a small smile. 

“I’ll be fine”


	5. Percy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy’s POV: Percy meets the Avengers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I am so sorry for the delay! As I said, I was traveling a lot. But it's here now so please enjoy.
> 
> Now, let's take a moment of silence to honor Spiderman 3. It could have been great but we will PROBABLY never see it. I'm distraught and I'm heartbroken, mostly because the news was broken to me through memes.

Percy turned to watch as Peter faded into the distance, wondering if he should have insisted Peter come with them, or argued against coming at all. _But_ , there was no use kicking himself over it now, besides, he didn’t think he should argue with a man who didn’t need superpowers to kill him.

The second Percy was ushered into the car he had expected to be bombarded by questions, just as Peter had done, so the silence that followed was...unsettling and only made Percy progressively more uncomfortable. Stark didn’t even acknowledge that there was another person in the car, he just pulled out his phone and started typing for what felt like an eternity. Percy’s leg tapped nervously as he waited for something—anything—to happen. 

He wished Peter were here.

Tony didn’t look up when he finally spoke and as Percy had been amusing himself with the loose strand on his scorched clothes for the past five minutes he had no idea what the man had just said.

He coughed awkwardly, “Sorry, what?” This was clearly not the right thing to say based off the way Tony frowned and rolled his eyes in annoyance.

“I said,” He repeated slowly, as if he were talking to a child, which ticked Percy off. He’d gone through this routine before, having to prove his intelligence time and time again, to strangers, to friends, to himself. “What’s your name?” 

Percy studied the man. He still had some doubts about Stark’s motives, but the way his life was going, it wasn't his fault that it was hard to trust people. On the bright side, Tony didn’t know his full name or his name at all, which was a clear sign he was just human; the first step to discovering your inner monster was knowing your enemy's full name—proper etiquette. 

“It’s Percy."

“Well Percy. Care to tell me how you got here?” He paused again; he knew Peter trusted Stark, at least he thought he did, but, then again, clearly not enough to tell him about Percy. 

Tony sighed, catching on to his obvious hesitation, “Look kid, I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on.” Percy nodded, deciding if Tony _had_ wanted to kill him he would have done so already. So, he recounted his story again; everything about the greek gods, half bloods, and the portal. Tony didn’t seem the least bit surprised. He just nodded and as Percy explained, his brow furrowed and he frowned but said nothing beside the occasional question. When Percy was done, he waited for Stark’s reaction.

“And I thought Peter’s life was dangerous.”

Percy looked at him in disbelief, “How are you so calm? It’s like none of this phases you! I just confirmed the existence of gods!”

Tony laughed, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ve seen a lot.” The car stopped and his relaxed demeanor returned as if it had never left. 

He reached over to Percy, arm outstretched, but when he saw Percy’s confusion, he huffed petulantly, “This isn’t a hug, I’m just opening the door for you. Why does everyone think it’s a hug?” Percy tried to nod understandingly because he didn’t know what to say. 

“Never mind, come on kid,” He pushed the door open, letting Percy step out, “We have work to do.”

—

“Avengers Tower is the primary location of the world’s, and more specifically, New York’s, super hero team. Originally home to Stark Industries, philanthropist and owner Tony Stark, a.k.a Ironman, donated a portion for team usage. Standing at an impressive 1130 feet, the main tower…” The guide hesitated when she spotted Tony and Percy walking through and the tour group turned, following her gaze. Ignoring their star struck looks, Tony gave the woman a slight nod and she continued. 

“Do you always allow tours in here?” Percy asked.

Tony shrugged, pulling out a key card as they neared the elevator, “Helps with moral. If they can see where it all happens, they’re not focusing on just how dangerous the guys upstairs could be if they ever turned” Percy made a face and Tony held up his hands defensively, “Not that we ever would, but we can’t help them if they don’t trust us.” 

Percy wondered what the mortals back home would think if they ever knew what was really running around on their streets. He couldn’t imagine the mass panic if the Mist disappeared. Suddenly, the tours seemed pretty genius. 

According to Tony their stop was floor 90, which was _probably_ true, but Percy stopped counting after 9. It struck him as kind of ironic, being in another seemingly endless elevator, only this time it was superheroes at the top, not gods. If Percy wasn’t so tired, he might have laughed. Instead he waited silently, something that had always been hard for him, till they reached the infamous floor 90.

When the elevator opened, Tony led him into a large dark room but stopped in the doorway.

“Why are all the blinds down?” He shouted to no one. From behind a couch that Percy had previously thought vacant, three heads popped up.

“AH. TONY!” A blonde bearded man bellowed. “Natasha and the quiet one have joined me on a quest to watch the lives of the little box people all day.” He pointed at the screen, “They work in a _very_ small room and a _great_ rivalry exists between two,” The man laughed loudly. “It is quite humorous!”

The woman, Natasha, rolled her eyes, “We're binging _The Office _.”__

__“They have _The Office_ here too?” Percy blurted out, and he immediately wished he hadn’t because suddenly all eyes were on him._ _

__

__

__“Who’s the kid?” Natasha asked._ _

__“Why is he holding a frying pan?”_ _

__“Unclear” Tony answered flippantly, as if he didn’t know exactly what it was, “It seems like some sort of makeshift weapon.”_ _

__“It is a weapon!” assured Percy, sounding a little too desperate even for him. In an attempt to regain some measure of his composure he flipped his frying pan and it clattered to the floor._ _

__“Might I suggest a hammer?” Blondie proposed, and the silent dude with the long hair snickered._ _

__“I had a pen!” Percy knew he wasn’t convincing anyone, but he didn’t want people thinking he was an amateur hero._ _

__“This seems like an upgrade” Tony said._ _

__“No!” Percy gestured hopelessly with his hands, “The pen turned into a sword.” He was met with blank stares, and Percy decided he should stop talking before they called a psychiatrist._ _

__“Anyway,” Tony continued, “This is Percy—“ He looked at him expectantly, and Natasha rolled her eyes, sending Percy a sympathetic look like it was commonplace for Tony to forget to ask people’s last names._ _

__“Jackson” Percy supplied awkwardly. Tony nodded like he already knew that._ _

__“Tell them what happened kid.” So, Percy explained his story for the third time that day. Honestly, he should start charging people for this. When he finished the blond dude stood up and clapped Percy on the back with enough strength to bring down a building._ _

__As Percy coughed and sputtered the buff guy with the _very_ nice hair spoke, “Fret not Son of Jack! I, Thor, the strongest avenger, will not rest until you are safe in your own dimension!”_ _

__“Hold on Pointbreak, we still don’t know who sent Percy here, and—“_ _

__“Sorry, did you say Thor? As in the norse god Thor?” Percy interrupted, feeling a little dizzy._ _

__Thor puffed out his chest, “The one and only. And, while you are GREEK” he shuddered, “I will not hold this against you.” Suddenly, everyone’s blatant lack of surprise about his life made a lot more sense._ _

__Stark cleared his throat, “And, we are so happy for you both, but as I was saying we don’t know how he got here or when we can get him back, so…I’m thinking we sign the kid up for school,” Percy must not have hid his horror well because Tony put a hand up to calm him, “I get that it’s not ideal, but it will make your indefinite stay a little more normal, plus I can’t babysit you 24-7,” Percy frowned at that, “It’s not like you’ll be alone, you’ll be with Peter.” That did sound good, even if Percy had thought being in a different universe would have gotten him out of calculus. But, there still was a big flaw in Tony’s plan._ _

__“Peter? Doesn’t he go to, like, genius school?” Percy questioned, “I’m not stupid, but school and I don’t mix well” To be fair most of the times his school had blown up, it wasn’t his fault! “Plus I have dyslexia.”_ _

__Tony seemed surprised by this, but, as Percy was learning, was never unprepared. “While Peter’s school is prestigious, they do cater to kids with many different learning difficulties, so you shouldn’t be that out of place” Percy highly doubted this. Stark then turned to Natasha, “Go get Bruce and fill him in, then tell him to get Percy settled in the spare room.” She nodded and swiftly departed—Percy felt bad that she wasn’t able to finish _The Office_ marathon. _ _

__After that it was a hectic 5 minutes of people leaving, entering, and Tony giving a quick goodbye, explaining that he had work to do, mainly figuring out how to get Percy into a school for geniuses by tomorrow when a) he wasn’t a genius and b) there was no record of his existence in this dimension. Tony sounded hopeful._ _

__A few moments later a small unimposing man came in and introduced himself as Bruce Banner. He instructed Percy to follow as they walked down a long corridor, stopping at a door on the left._ _

__“This is where you’ll be staying tonight,” Bruce gestured to the lavish room awkwardly. It was far bigger than anything he’d ever slept in, looking more like a penthouse suite than a “room”. The bed was quite obviously king sized and he knew without having touched it that it was the softest thing he would ever sleep on. The closet in the corner was fully stocked with clothes, not his style but still nice, and there was a mini-fridge next to the bed (he expected that was full too)._ _

__“Wow,” He said articulately._ _

__Bruce grinned, and Percy got the feeling that the man knew exactly what he was going through, “You get used to it.” He shrugged his shoulders as if to say ‘Rich people! What can you do?’_ _

__He turned to leave, but stopped. “Don’t worry about Stark. The first time I met Tony…let’s just say I know he can be a bit much.”_ _

_A bit?_ He seemed to guess what Percy was thinking because he smiled. 

__

__

__“Give it time”_ _

__Bruce closed the door behind him, leaving Percy alone. He didn’t like it when he was alone, it gave him far too much time to think. He fell onto the bed face first and screamed into the mattress--a tried and true coping mechanism for the unstable demigod. It wasn’t fair. Everything always seemed to happen to him. All he really wanted was a break but the second one quest finished he was thrown into the next. Didn’t he deserve a vacation where nobody wanted to kill him or eat him or turn him into some sort of animal? He thought he was finally free once the prophecy was fulfilled, but who was he kidding, he would never be free. There would always be a new prophecy, a new quest, until he ultimately died. He couldn’t even say that he didn’t see this coming. For weeks he’d been having—dreams. Nothing specific, just whispers. _Something coming_. He had ignored it, even though he knew they weren’t just nightmares._ _

__They never were._ _

__After he turned off the light, Percy didn’t fall asleep right away. He lay in the dark staring at the ceiling wondering if he would ever get home. Wondering how he had gotten here and who had sent him. If he’d ever see his mom or his friends again. The usual. When exhaustion finally set in and his eyes closed, peace did not find him in his dreams._ _

__“Oh little hero," A low gravely voice, that sounded like it had been passed through a blender, called out to him from the void, “You thought you could escape your fight by running away?” The voice taunted, “Your fates are intertwined. Fail together. Die together. Perhaps you will beat my champion. Either way, the Night will last forever!” The voice cackled and a feeling of dread consumed Percy. His heart beat faster and faster until he thought it would escape his chest entirely. He couldn’t move, trying desperately to wake up._ _

__WAKE UP._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it :)! I already started the next chapter and I like it so far? So HOPEFULLY, it won't take too long.


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